Standardized testing: Helping or hurting schools?

Beginning this year, Keystone Exams will supplant the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment as the accountability measure for 11th-graders in the commonwealth. The Keystones are based on the Pennsylvania Common Core standards, which also will be integrated into PSSA tests in grades 3 through 8 during the next two years.

The new standards raise the bar for schools to deliver more relevant, rigorous instruction — an obvious step in the right direction.

However, one question remains: Is there a better method than standardized testing to assess student and school performance? Standardized tests offer a one-day snapshot of a student's performance. Is that information enough to judge a school's efficacy over the course of an entire year?

Further complicating this issue is the lack of timely guidance provided by PDE to schools regarding the new standards and assessments. This process has created uncertainty and inefficiencies in school districts statewide.

More collaboration between the state and local education agencies is needed if we are to help students meet the high expectations of the Common Core and effectively assess their knowledge and skills.